Insane
by MortalShadowhunter
Summary: Tessa, Will, and Jem all have different problems, but are brought together when all three are brought to the London Psychiatric Ward. No matter how much they drive each other to insanity, they always manage to keep healing, even when the knife cuts deep. Rated M for later chapters to come. Both Jessa and Wessa. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**This is just for fun. I might continue it. I might not. Depends how popular it gets.**

Tessa cringed, digging her nails into her skin. Letting out a sharp scream of anger and pain, she buried her head into her pillow, trying to block out the unwelcome voices in her thoughts. Grabbing a book and throwing it in the direction of the girl, she shrank away as the girl neared. Tessa was nearly pressed against the wall as she moved back, fear constricting her sense. "Get out of my head! Out."

_Theresa. _

"Get out!" Pressing her hands to her temples and rocking, Tessa let out a cry as the voice grew louder.

_Theresa._

"Get the hell away from me!"

"Tessie?" Her brother barreled into the room, his blond hair disheveled and unruly. Taking Tessa's hands from her face, he held her face to his chest, rubbing her back. "It's not real. It's not real." His hands tightened on her back, patient as she choked back fearful cries. "Did you take your medication today?"

"Not right now."

"Tessie."

"Not right now."

"Tessie, please." Carefully getting up, Nate crossed her room, pulling her pills from her drawer and unscrewing the cap. Pouring a few of the small, red, cylindrical things that the doctors promised would help her, Nate gave them to Tessa. "Tessa. You need to take them." She was still, just holding the pills in her hand and staring at them. Reluctantly, she raised her hand to her mouth, swallowing the pills.

"Please Nate. Go away or she's going to burn you." Tessa stared up at him, her mouth pressed together in a thin, red line. "She's going to burn you and she's going to hurt you."

Sitting down next to his sister, Nate put his arm around her. "I'll be fine. We'll get you help. I promise."

**~~ooo~~**

Red, burning rage as hot as lava ate away at Will, his blue eyes blazing. Slamming and locking the door to his room, Will paced, his breath coming out in staggering gasps. His chest was tight and it was on fire, but he paced and paced. Clenching his hands, he felt his nails cut into the palms of his hands and draw blood. Taking a pocket knife from his desk, he snapped it open, slamming it into the dry boards of his wall.

Trying to pull it out, he made small holes of stab marks, scratching off the paint and scraping away bits and pieces of dried foundation. His anger was still searing, but not as dominant as he came to his sense. A knock at the door sounded over the racket Will was making in his room. "Will! Open your door."

Will stayed silent, drawing in his breath as he continued to let his nails score bloodied scratches against his skin. His sister fumbled at the lock on his door, the audible and recognizable sound of a bobby pin being wiggled in the lock, clicking it open. Backing away from her, Will narrowed his eyes. "Can you just leave me alone. I don't need any of your advice or talks or your stupid, little-"

"Will. Can you just control it for once?" Cecily interrupted, raising her voice. She stormed into the room, standing fearlessly in front of her brother. "You could have killed those two guys. I'm surprised your stupid enough to fight. You know you'll win, but that doesn't satisfy you. Why do you always feel the need to show that you're better than they are?"

"They were giving me hell about _our_ sister. What am I supposed to do?"

"Walk away!"

"That's weak. That's what you would do." Will snarled, his tone sharpening. "I don't care if they're hurt. They deserved it."

"You're sick."

"Weak."

"Impetuous."

"Bitch." Will instantly regretted his choice of words. Cecily jerked back as if she had been hit, blinking her eyes profusely. Moving to leave his room, Cecily held up her hands.

"That's it. I can't take your episodes anymore. You're leaving."

**~~ooo~~**

"I don't know."

"Well, do you want to come downstairs with us?"

"No."

"Will you at least talk about what's going on?"

"No."

"Listen, James." Charlotte murmured, her eyes sympathetic. "You're upset and I know that, but this desolation, this loneliness that you have willingly put yourself into isn't natural. You have to come downstairs sometime." She put his hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off, scooting back from her. Moving to take his violin from his hands, he pulled away quickly, his hands feverishly gripping his violin and bow.

"I don't want to talk right now." Jem whispered, positioning his violin under his throat. "I don't want to talk. I don't want to talk."

"I get it, but you're starting to worry me." Charlotte knelt beside him, trying to get him to make eye contact. He turned away from her, his head bowed down as he pulled his violin back to his chest, his fingers biting into the strings. "James, I don't want you to have to go away with the counselors. They're going to force you to go if you don't start taking to the new medication."

Jem shrugged, his expression indifferent. "Then let them come."

"You don't mean that-"

"I don't care." Jem said softly, shaking his head slowly. "I don't care what they do. They don't understand."

"Look, maybe I should let you go to the ward."

"Okay."

"Do you want to stay here?"

"Sure."

Charlotte sighed. "Where would you rather be?"

"I don't care."

Standing up, Charlotte took her phone from her pocket, dialing a number. "I think you'll feel better if you go."


	2. Chapter 2

"Holly hasn't visited today." Tessa announced as she climbed into the passenger seat.

Getting into the front seat of his car, Nate stuck his keys in, turning it on. Looking at her, he smiled warmly. "That's good. This new place is going to help you with your voices. They're going to help you recover." Backing out of the driveway, he caught Tessa's eye, offering another grin in her direction. "I'm going to miss you though."

"I'll miss you too." She said, clutching her bag in her hands.

"At least you have your books."

Looking down, she reached inside her bag, pulling out an old book that she found at the back of her closet. "Yes. I'm excited to read this one again. It's one of my favorites. Holly doesn't like that book."

"Well, Holly isn't real so it doesn't matter."

Tessa frowned. "I know." Leaning her head against the window, she watched as the trees and people walking whipped behind them, lost in a blur of light. Dizziness pounded at her brain, a slight feeling of nausea settling sickly in her stomach. Sighing, she closed her eyes and took a deep and slow breath. Car sickness was awful. Opening one eye to look at Nate, she licked her lips. "I'm worried about this new place."

"You'll be fine. Do you trust me?"

She nodded. "Yes."

**~~ooo~~**

"This place is going to be hell." Will commented, forcing his anger to fizzle out like a dying fire. "All the people here are going to damn me for life." Grabbing his arm, Cecily marched up to the front desk, taking the clipboard from the office manager and filling it out. Sitting down in one of the chairs, she scribbled away, focused on making Will seem as bad as possible. Unfortunately, due to Will's rare condition, the horrible things Cecily wrote about him were practically understatements.

"What are you doing?" Cecily asked, moving away from Will as he looked over her shoulder. "Can you stop, Will?"

"Anger problems, arrogance problems, problems with authority, problems when it comes to cooperation. Well, damn. Is there anything I don't have a problem with because apparently, according to how you're filling out the sheet, I have a problem with every. Single. God. Damned. Thing." Will remarked, smirking at her. "In the extra comments section, you put that I'm manipulative, arrogant, and demanding...Why all the compliments?"

"Shut up."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Who's she?" Will inquired, a slight smile on his lips. He was staring at a girl with long brown hair and gray eyes, but his main focus was definitely not on her eyes. His gaze travelled up and down her body, resting in a few particular areas before snapping to the items clutched in her hand. "She has _Lady Audrey's Secret._ I like her already."

"Well, good for you."

"I know."

**~~ooo~~**

Setting his violin down at the corner of the room, Jem looked around. It looked vaguely like the college dorms he had seen while surfing Google images, but not as cluttered. Glancing over at the other bed, Jem grimaced. They probably wouldn't let him dorm alone. As if echoing his thoughts, a boy burst into the room, perhaps close to his age. He had rumpled black hair, curling at his neck and over his temples. His shirt was a dark blue color, almost identical to the hue of his eyes.

"James, right?" The boy asked loudly, staring at Jem. Widening his eyes, Jem stood frozen in the boy's presence, his heart pounding in his chest. Throwing his bags under his bed, the black haired boy sat down and grinned. "Are you mute or something? I'm Will Herondale, but you can call me Handsome, Charming, Sexy or anything that floats your boat. I have Narcissistic Personality Disorder. What 'bout you?"

"...I'm a Schizoid." Jem said at last, clasping his hands in front of them. _Stay calm, just get through it..._"And yes, I am James."

"Ahh, you're one of the Schiz guys. No wonder you look like a frightened squirrel." Turning around, Will grabbed a book from his bag, collapsing onto his bed and opening it to a random page. "These rooms don't have security camera's, you know. That means I could practically destroy the room and no one would know...But they have the emergency button by the door. That defeats the point."

Rubbing his hands together nervously, Jem sat down in a chair, picking his violin up and opening the case. His violin was his only source of comfort; that and the pills. They didn't help as well as he wanted them to, but with this new guy in the room, Jem considered asking for an increase in dosage. "If something goes wrong, then the emergency button would come in handy."

"It's a nuisance and it's ugly." Will commented, sitting back up. "My life is going to be so boring. Except, there was this new girl I saw come in into our part of the building. She's pretty hot and she reads books."

"...Okay?"

"Seriously? No reaction?"

"..."

"You're really out of balance, James. Do you ever talk about anything fun? At least say something."

Swallowing his nervous spit, Jem pulled his violin from his case, studying the flawless shine that engulfed it. Looking up, he almost smiled. "Jem. You can call me Jem."


	3. Chapter 3

"What is this part?" Tessa inquired, standing next to Jessamine, her room mate. Jessamine had PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but since she had been there for well over a year, she was recovering just fine. Taking her arm, Jessamine pulled Tessa down the hallway, giving each room a label for Tessa.

"That is the rec room where we can pretty much just talk with other people. This is the garden area. Over here is where the people who are more severely affected by their disorder go to get help. Honestly, this place is pretty much just like a really safe college without school...except if you refuse to take your medication, it ends up with you strapped to a table and needles in your arms." Jessamine said, showing Tessa a small row of white scar dots on her arm. "I didn't listen my first month here. The ward people turn into complete and utter monsters."

"That sounds intimidating."

"I've just learned to go with the flow. I'm so happy I finally get another girl companion with me." Jessamine chirped, grinning at her. Leading her to the garden area, Jessamine sighed happily. "I can finally vent about all the cute boys on campus without Sophie looking at me like a total-"

"Sophie?"

"Oh. Her." Jessamine frowned, looking at a girl in the distance that had a long scar down her cheek. "She has PTSD like me, but I think she suffers more from jealousy problems. She was my old roommate. Anyway, I've always wanted to get someone who wanted to talk about actual girl stuff, not just like sowing and how her life before here was crap."

Tessa yelped as Jessamine pulled her onto a bench, probably leaving a small bruise on her tailbone. Smiling helplessly, Tessa pulled her knees to her chest. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be here."

"No, but when I'm eighteen, I'm moving out and going to America. My family was rich, so I get the money."

"Ohh...That's good but...I'm sorry about your parents."

"Don't be." Standing up suddenly, Jessamine grabbed her arm. "Come on. We have so much more to look at."

**~~ooo~~**

Waiting for his pills to kick in, Jem waited in his room, ignoring the fact that he was bored out of his mind. His violin was relaxing to play for a little while, but playing it for four hours straight had made even Jem sick of it. With a boost of confidence, Jem stood, walking over to the door and opening it. But with a boost of fear and self consciousness, he closed it again, backing up.

"Come on, Jem." Will poked his head inside, reaching in and forcing Jem to go out. The change in atmosphere was almost dizzying, his mind racing to catch up with everything happening around him. He was so glad he had asked the nurses for an increased dosage of pills. Wrapping his fingers around Jem's wrist, Will walked down the hall, chattering about all sorts of things that Jem really didn't have much interest in. "So today I was reading and I couldn't help but think that...Then I told myself that I probably shouldn't because...Maybe like five or six different girls my sophomore year...so, are you up to that?"

"What?" Jem asked, having only heard bits and pieces of Will's sentences.

"You weren't listening, were you?"

"It's overwhelming."

"You just took your meds. You're going to be absolutely fine. No one is going to murder you and no one is going to take your violin." Will muttered, his smile morphing into a scowl. "You're the most boring roommate ever. Come on, lets go visit the rec room."

**~~ooo~~**

She was there again, Will noted, staring at the brown haired girl. And she was with the blondie. God, he could feel that he already hated her and her prissy little blond pigtails. She wasn't bad looking though... Pushing his hair behind his ear, Will walked up between them, putting his arms over both their shoulders and grinned. "You're new, you're not."

"Oh. You're the new guy." The blond said, lifting her nose in the air arrogantly. "I've heard things about you."

"You have? Then you know how absolutely charming I am."

"Creepy bastard. Can you just, like, leave?"

"Feisty." Will smirked, leaning his mouth close to her ear. "I like them feisty."

"Gross." The blond said, shrinking away from him.

"I can't help it. I'm a narcissistic guy." Will shrugged, pulling her back. "According to my sister, narcissists are arrogant, manipulative, and demanding. What she missed is that they tend to be handsome, though I think that just applies to me, charming, also another quality specific to me, and very...persuasive. That falls somewhat under manipulative though, doesn't it?"

"You talk a lot." The brown haired girl said, looking up at him.

"I saw you yesterday. You were hold _Lady Audrey's Secret._ That one is a passible book, though I prefer Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins."

Tessa smiled. "Those are my favorite authors."

"Really? 'I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul.'"

"_A Tale of Two Cities_." Tessa said quickly, her gray eyes glittering. She pulled away from him slightly, studying his face. "That was too easy. 'Your tears come easy, when you're young, and beginning the world-'"

"Your tears come easy, when you're old, and leaving it." Will finished with a triumphant expression. "_The Moonstone. _You though mine was easy? That one was below beginner. Let's see... 'The books - the generous friends who met me without suspicion - the merciful masters who never used me ill!'"

"_Armadale._"

"Hmm. Your knowledge of books is passable."

"I like to think of books as more of an obsession." Tessa blushed, her cheeks reddening slightly. Holding her hand out, she smiled. "I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Tessa. Tessa Gray."

Taking her hand, Will shook it, staring at her eyes this time. They were lovely. Of course, not as lovely as his, but hers were...passable. "I'm William Herondale. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Just going to let you know, this story is going to move REALLY FAST...**

"Goodnight." Tessa murmured, slipping tiredly into her bed. Jessamine mumbled something sleepily into her pillow, already almost passed out from exhaustion. Closing her eyes, Tessa tried to let herself fall asleep, but no matter how tired she seemed to be, being at the ward for a week hadn't changed her picky sleeping habits. It was always hot or always cold and it just didn't feel right.

_Theresa. Did you miss me?_

Sucking in a sharp breath, Tessa pulled the covers to her bed over her head, her hands shaking. "Go away." She whispered furiously, trying to not wake Jessamine. Peeking out, she saw Holly on the other side of the room, staring maliciously at her. "Go away."

_Theresa. Did you miss me?_

"Please, please, please just leave me alone." Tessa blinked, jumping when a pair of semi translucent eyes stared into hers. Holly grinned, pressing her hand against Tessa's throat so hard, she swore it was real. "Not today. Just leave me alone."

_You're useless and you're a freak. _Holly snarled, her face close to Tessa's. The voices and murmurs in Tessa's thoughts overpowered her own, drowning out all sense of safety and stability. Quivering, Tessa stared up at Holly, her heart racing. _The others here know you're a freak. They know you're crazy. They know you hear the voices. Now, say you missed_ _me, Theresa darling._

"Jessamine..." Tessa called out softly, her breath caught in her throat. "Jessamine!"

"What?" Jessamine groaned, rolling over. Holly vanished. Opening one eye, Jessamine squinted. "What is it? You've been talking in your sleep, you know."

"...Never mind." Tessa said, trying to keep the fear from her voice. "It was nothing."

**~~ooo~~**

Jem downed his pills with his water, vowing to himself that today, he would go to the music room. Maybe he could play his violin there in peace. Grabbing his violin case, he opened the door, making his way down the stark, white hallway. Arriving to the music room, he opened it, keeping his head down so no one would strike up a conversation with him. Taking his violin from his case, he set it down on the floor, placing his bow carefully on the strings.

"It's a fancy seeing you here." A voice said just as he was about to play. Jem jumped, the bow shuddering across the strings and producing a very loud, very offensive screech. Looking up, Jem sighed. Why was it that almost everywhere he went, that particular boy was always there. Will smirked, raising an eyebrow. "How are you liking the view from there." Will said, gesturing to himself.

Turning away, Jem grimaced, not knowing what to say. "I didn't know you played piano."

"I play a bit. I mostly do guitar."

Jem smiled inwardly. "Liar."

"What?"

"You look much more comfortable on a piano than you do a guitar. You look like a pianist." Jem surprised himself with his bold remark, giving Will an honest and nonjudgmental stare. "Music just so happens to be my forte."

"Yeah. You would have thought that hearing you play almost every damned hour of my life would have indicated to me that you liked music." Will snorted, placing his hands on the piano keys. _He plays well_, Jem commended Will mentally, listening to Will as his fingers moved across the keys. _But it sounds empty. _Closing his eyes and listening to the melody, Jem let his bow slide across the recently rosined strings. Though it was a spontaneous violinist accompaniment on Jem's part, it came naturally to him as he listened closer to the dialogue, giving the piano a story.

It was one of the many times Will was silent, his blue eyes studying the keys in concentration as the cords resonated through the piano and into the room. He had become vaguely aware that Jem had joined him on the violin; it sounded almost practiced. It was true that he played guitar, but it was also true what Jem had said about his first and better instrument being the piano.

Jem stopped playing suddenly, his violin still pressed into his throat. Looking up at Jem, Will lifted his hands from the keys, confused. "Why did you stop?"

"You didn't need me anymore. It wasn't empty." Jem's mouth curved up into a bow, his eyes light. "You're talented."

"I know." Will said instinctively before catching himself. He turned to Jem, a genuine smile starting to form on his face. "Thank you."

"That was very pretty." Tessa said happily, walking into the room. She sat down in an empty chair near them, crossing her legs and pulling them up. "Do you come here often?"

"I don't really...but I should." Will gave Tessa a sideways glance, grinning. "After all, 'If music be the food of love, play on.'"

"_Twelfth Night,_ by Shakespeare. Are we really going to do this again?"

"We could."

Glancing amusedly at Will, she turned to Jem, smiling. "That was beautiful. Do you play often?"

Jem flushed. He wasn't sure why but there was something about her..."Yes. I'm sure Will knows that quite well."

"How long have you been practicing that?"

Closing the fall board on the piano, Will shrugged. "A week or so."

"Just today." Jem said shyly.

"Today?" Tessa asked, impressed. "Are you serious?"

"I assure you it was all improvisational." Jem murmured, lowering his violin to his side.

"That was brilliant." Taking out her phone, Tessa stood up, grimacing. "I have to go. Jessamine wants to show me something. I have no idea. She's quite crazy. 'What you are to do without me I cannot imagine.'"

"I see what you did there!" Will called out after her as she left. "George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion!"


	5. Chapter 5

Pulling a shirt over his head, Will edged it over the belts of his jeans. Smoothing his hair back, he tilted his head up, admiring his reflection. _Damn. I'm pretty hot._ Giving himself a smirk, Will grabbed his iPod, sticking it into his pocket. At first, it sucked not being able to have a phone, have access to one, or even email on the internet. Cutting off all connection with others was part of the ward facility rules, making it so family members couldn't influence the patients. At least they could still have iPods for entertainment purposes.

A nurse stood at the door, holding a small tray with a collection of pills and a glass of water. Scowling, Will took them in his palm, despising the way the nurse stared at him to make sure he would take them. His first night at the ward, he held them in his cheek until they tasted too bitter to swallow; resulting in straps, ties and a bed which would have made Will giddy in a completely different situation. Unfortunately for him, this kind of tie meant he couldn't move until he was injected with a tranquilizer and a liquid, more potent, version of the pills.

Popping them into his mouth and taking a swig of water, Will swallowed, grimacing at the bitter and acidic taste. The nurse took the glass, setting it down on the tray and leaving the room. Turning around, Will smacked his shin against the seat of a chair. Wincing, he rubbed his shin, a small, red bruise forming on his skin. As he moved to stand up again, he hit into something hard.

_Well, life is shit sometimes._

"Crap." Will swore, rubbing his head. He looked up, seeing Jem staring wide eyed down at him with his violin case gripped in his hands. "It seems as if every single God damned place I move, there's something there that just wants me to get hurt. What did I ever do to the violin case?"

"Are you alright?" Jem asked, setting his case down. "I was just walking and you stood up. If I had known you were getting up, I would have made sure I wasn't in your way. What were you doing anyway?"

"I think that's the longest string of words I've ever heard you say." Will remarked, standing up. "I was just rubbing my chin when you came in and I stood up. Dear me. I think some brain cells have just died."

"Were you going out?"

"Yes."

Jem smiled crookedly. "I think that's the shortest string of words I've ever heard you say."

"The world is full of miracles."

**~~ooo~~**

""Placed between those two cruel alternatives, which could I choose? Think of your own frailties; and have some mercy on mine.'"

"_The Law and the Lady_. 'When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.'"

"Err..." Will hesitated, confused. "I've never heard that one."

"_Twilight._"

"That's cheating."

"Exactly." Tessa laughed, grinning slightly. "I didn't think you would have read that book. It's not very good at all. Much too cheesy and romantic and supernatural. It's too unrealistic. Vampires and werewolves aren't real."

"_Tale of Two Cities _is a dreadfully romantic and cheesy novel as well." Will pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "Though, I admit, the ending is quite...what would Lucie say? Devastating, perhaps. Frightfully grievous." Taking one of the books from Tessa's bag, he flipped through the pages. This, too, was a book he had never read though it did look boring and melodramatic. "_The Little Prince_? I've never heard of this book. What is it about?"

"Oh, it's an absolutely wonderful book!" Tessa cried, clasping her hands in front of her. "It's all about perspective, imagination and a little boy and fox and roses. It's a beautiful story that deserves more attention than it gets. Though it is a children's book, it is one of my favorites."

"Are there any battles or any fighting?"

"Well, no..."

"Then what is the point of reading it?"

"_The Law and the Lady_ hardly has any fighting at all and you've read it."

"But it has mystery and sleuths roaming about. There are dark secrets and pasts that you have to uncover, but this...this is just a children's book." Will remarked, holding up _The Little Prince_. "It can't possibly be a good book without excitement."

"You should read it." Tessa said anyway, tossing one of her books on the bed. "And then, if you still don't like it, at least you can say that you've read it."

"Hmmph. Very well." Will agreed, setting the book down on his lap. The door opened, Jessamine sashaying through it over to Tessa.

"I was thinking, if you wanted to we could-" She noticed Will, putting her hands on her hips and sticking her nose pompously into the air. Scowling, she scoffed. "Tessa, what is that _thing_ doing in here?"

"Ah," Will smirked, tipping an imaginary hat. "It's lovely to see you too."

"Jessamine..." Tessa said carefully, her eyes guarded. "You've seen Will. Will, I've told you about Jessamine." Standing up, she turned to Jessamine, forcing a smile. "He was just visiting. We were talking about books but he was going to leave now." Tessa shot him a pleading glance. Sighing, Will grabbed the book, moving towards the door and opening it.

"You might want to mention you want me to leave next time before your roommate comes in so I get a heads up." Will shrugged, a smug expression on his face. "Just a thought." He added before slipping outside.


	6. Chapter 6

Jem took a ragged breath, staring at the amount of people in the hall. His heart was fluttering fast and he was breathing hard, the whirlwind of things happening around him like he was submerged in the raging waves. Glancing to the side, he brought one hand up to his face in agitation and anxiety, digging his nails into his cheek and scratching down, surely leaving red marks. It was all too much.

The sounds.

The sights.

The people moving around.

The voices ringing down the hall.

Everything.

Slipping back into the room, he slammed the door shut where he could be in his little case of indifference. It was easy being inside the room. He didn't have to worry about talking to people. He didn't have to worry about feeling the strange emotion in his thoughts called fear and contentment, whatever those things felt like, and he didn't have to worry about being mocked for his condition. He and Will had both been given more of their meds lately, though Will insisted they were fine. Jem didn't really say anything as he hadn't had an opinion, but his indifference just reprimanded Will's claim.

Instead, he took his violin, tightening the peg on the bow drawing rosin from the case. It was an instinctive process by now and he had it finished in less than a minute. Setting the violin at his throat, he placed the bow delicately across the strings, pressing his eyes closed and drawing out a long, whining array of notes. They _were _very pretty, Jem admitted, though his skills were little compared to his fathers.

Letting soulful notes pour from his violin, he found himself pushing away the indifference and seeing the colors map across his mind. And, for a split second, he almost thought it could have been feeling. He had always struggled with finding the emotion in things and understanding why people got so excited and so frustrated over such small things. People called him boring, rude, hard to understand, and distant, but he didn't really care, not when he had his violin. It wasn't like there was a handbook to life he could follow and, whenever he tried to make some sort of effort to understand why someone was so sad about someone dying or someone misplacing their special possession, he just couldn't comprehend it.

_Everyone loses things. It's part of life so why be so sad about it? _Jem had always wondered, though he had never asked someone because he hadn't really cared what the answer was.

"Good God! As talented as I admit you are on the violin, you play is every. Single. Fricking. Day." Will groaned, rolling over underneath his covers. Jem hadn't heard him, continuing to play absentmindedly with his thoughts toying in his head until something hard hit him in his side. Yelping, Jem jumped back, his eyes impossibly wide and staring at Will.

"What?" Jem asked, looking at Will in surprise.

Rolling off his bed, Will reached for his iPod that he had thrown at Jem, picking it up between his fingertips. "It's too loud. I'm loosing brain cells."

"It's not _that _horrible...is it?" Jem asked, suddenly self conscious.

"No. It's pretty good." Will said coolly, which was a massive complement coming from him, "But you're just playing like 24/7 and its starting to get on my nerves." He wiped his iPod off, flipping through it with mild interest. "Oh, by the way, Tessa's coming over to our room tonight because I convinced a Lightworm to sneak in a six pack of beer. You want to know how?"

Jem was staring blankly at Will, his mouth slightly ajar. "I don't drink."

"More for me." Will grinned, holding up the drinks. "So, since he's dating my sister, which is just absolutely ridiculous, I told him that I would tell Cecily that I made him eat a worm in fifth grade if he didn't sneak it in." Flopping down backwards on his bed, Will laughed. "The little bugger scurried off to get my stuff. At least he's good for something."

Looking at Will, Jem sighed, smiling slightly and shaking his head. "Horrible as always, William."

**~~ooo~~**

"Knock, knock, Tessa." Will called, tapping his knuckle against the door. Growing impatient, he put his hand on the doorknob, moving to twist it open. "I'm coming in."

Tessa had hardly started protesting when he swung the door open, revealing her in only her undergarments with a towel over her shoulders. With a shriek, she dove into her bed, wrapping herself in the covers with a very embarrassed look on her face. "William Herondale!"

"Sorry, dearie." Will flashed her a smirk, raising an eyebrow and shutting the door behind him. "It's not my fault you didn't lock the door."

"You don't just go barging into peoples rooms!"

"Why not?"

"Because they could be wrapping a present or currently unclothed!"

Will looked at her with confusion. "Aren't those the same thing?"

"William Herondale, turn around this instant!" Tessa cried, trying to cover fits of hysterical and embarrassed giggles. "Or I'm not going over to your place."

Instantly, Will turned around. He really did like this Tessa girl and, if it meant he had to not look at her while she was undressed for her to come over, he would do so. Leaning his forehead against the wall, Will clicked his tongue in impatience. "Are you done changing yet?"

"No!" Tessa said sharply, her voice strained as she struggled to pull on a pair of jeans.

"You're taking too long." Will complained, earning a smack with a pillow to the back of his head. He turned around, leaning nonchalantly at the door and raising an eyebrow at her as she held a pillow in one hand and desperately tried to button her shirt with the other. "Dear me. Do all girls take this long to dress or is it just you? hen again, unlike some, you don't just wear tatters of clothing that conceal all the goods."

"Pardon me?" Tessa sputtered, her face red.

"Never mind." Will sighed, taking her arm. "Shall we depart to our romantic room of A41?"

"We shall." Tessa said dramatically before freezing. "But its not a very romantic room."

"Who needs romantic," Will said as he opened the door, "when you have me?"


End file.
